Process for breaking petroleum emulsions



HELVER' DE GROOTE, OF ST. JUS, AND BERNHRB' IIEESER, ,0F WEBSTER GENVE-S, p MISSOURE, ASSIGNORS T@ WM. S. BRNGKEL da COMPANY, 0F WEBSTER GRNE,

io Drawing.

This invention relates to the treatment of emulsions of mineral oil and water, such as petroleum emulsions, for the purpose of separating the oil from the water. t

5 Petroleum emulsions are of the water-1noil type and comprise line droplets of natural occurring waters or brines, dispersed in a more or less. permanent state throughout the oil which constitutes the con i tinuous phase of the emulsion. They are obtained from producing wells and from the bottoms of oil storage tanks and are commonly referred to as fout oil, roily oil,

emulsified oil and bottom settlings.

The object of our invention is to provide a novel and inexpensive process for separating emulsions of the character referred to into their component parts of oil and water or brine. u

Briefiy described, our process consists 1n subjecting a petroleum emulsion to the action of a demulsifying agent consisting of a mix ture composed of ordinary commercial cresol or `cresvlic acid and modified oleic acid bodies a5 containing an appreciable proportion ohydroxy stearic acid. so as tocause the emulsion to break and separate into its component parts of oil and water or brine when the emulsion is permitted to remain in a quiescent state after treatment. L

In practising our process a treatingagent or demulsifying agent of the kind mentioned. is brought into contact with the emulsion either bv introducing the treating agent a5 into the well in which the emulsion is produced. introducing the treating agent into a conduit through which the emulsion is flowing. introducing the treating agent into a tank in which the emulsion is stored, or in- 4o troducing the 'treating agent into a container that holds a sludge obtained from the bottom /of an old storage tank. In some instances it may be advisable to introduce the treating agentl into a producing well in such a wav that it will become mixed with water and oil that is emerging from the surrounding strata. before said water and oil enter the barrel of the well pump or the tubing up through which said water and oil ow to the surface of the ground.v After treatment the j emulsion is allowed to stand in a quiescent state at a suitable temperature so as to` permit the water.. or brine to separate from the oil, or the treated `vemulsion may be acted on application med December 31, i926. Serial No. itil.

by one or the other of the various kinds of apparatus now used in the operation of breaking petroleum emulsions, such as homogenizers, hay tanks, n barrels, ilters, centrifuges or electrical ehydrators.

e prior art relatin to the treatment ci t@ petroleum emulsions discloses the use of various substances, and mixtures or com-1 binationsof various substances, which it is alleged will act as demulsifying agents to edect the separation of the component parts of a petroleum emulsion. llt has been our experience in treating petroleum 'emulsions on a commercial scale that a mixture of substances 'of known treating value generally produces a demulnsifving agent that is not as li@ eiiicient as the individual substances of which the mixture is composed. and morev over, that the result produced by combine ing two or more substances of known treating value is not always obvious. and in fact, l5 is often quite diierent from what would naturallv be expected to *Follow from comblining such substances. For example. we havelfound that when cresol or .commercial cresvlic acid is mixed with'other known treating agents. it generallv acts as an inert diluent. and that the efiiciencv of the treating agent is reduced bv its admixture with the cresol or cresvlic acid. Moreover. there are numerous instances where the cresol or cresylic acid is distinctlv harmful. in that it not onlv acts as a diluent. but even appears lto retard the treating eect of the agent with which it is mixed.

-We have discovered. however. a number ou of specific classes of agents having recognized treating value. which, Vwhen mixed with cresol or cresjvvlicA acid. produce a demulsifving agent that is more elective than the individual aeentswith which the meer es is mixed. Also that the result or effect prof duced by such a mixture is not obvious and would not naturally be expected to follow from combining such agents with'cresol or cresvlic acid. y

One mixture of the character above re- .ierred to that we have found to be very droxystearic acid and preferably a higher proportion, the term modified oleic acid odies, as herein used, meaning derivatives obtained by `chemical reaction and which bear a simple genetic relationship to the parent materials from Which they were derived. This complex mass either as a fatty acid or a salt or an ester thereof, is mixed with cresol or cresylic acid in an amount usually. not less than 10% by volume and generally not over by volume. Cresol or cresylic acid is a product of commerce that can be easily obtained in a state of technical purity,l and in producing the demulsifying agent contemplated by our process, any of the isomeric forms may be employed, or a mixture of the isomers can be used.

Having thus described our invention, what We claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A process for breaking petroleum emulsions, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of cresylic acid and modified oleic acid bodies containing an appreciable proportion of hydroxystearic acid.

2. A rocess for treatin petroleum emulsions, characterized by su jecting the emulsion to the action of a treating a ent oonsisting of modified oleic acid bo ies containing an appreciable proportion of hydroxystearic acid mixed With an amount of cresylic acid not less than 10% and not more than 3,5% of the mixture.

8. A process for treating petroleum emulsions, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of cresylic acid and a salt of modified oleic acid bodies containing an appreciable proportion of hydroxystearic acid. 4. A process for treating petroleum emulsions, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of cresylic acid and a Water soluble salt of modified oleic acid bodies containing an appreciable proportion of hydroxystearic acid.

5. A process for treating petroleum emulsions, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of cresylic acid and an ammonium salt of modified oleic acid bodies containing an appreciable proportion of hydroxystearic acid.

MELVIN DE GROOTE.

ISEE. 

